Christmas With Kia

Jan 13

Happy 2018! It’s the New Year. Chase and I had an incredible Holiday break. He gets to go home about 3 times a year and so we took two weeks off to go back to his home in Arizona. Now I had never been out to Arizona, so we decided it’d be an incredible idea to visit Sedona, Flagstaff, and of course The Grand Canyon. Our friends over at Kia Motors were kind enough to let us take this road trip from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon in none other than the brand-spankin’ new 2018 Kia Stinger.

Before I go all landscape crazy on you guys with Grand Canyon pics let’s talk about the new Kia Stinger. First of all, there was not a person who approached us to talk about the car that didn’t start their conversation with “I can’t believe that’s a Kia!” Honestly, when you see it, you’ll probably think the same thing. Kia is known for their reliable family cars, and most recently their luxury-feel sedans. But this bad boy is a head-turning machine.

I seriously felt like the queen of everything driving around in a shiny red car. Now let’s keep it G for a second. My current car is a 2007 Suzuki SX4. I’m certain it came out when I feel they weren’t really sure what they were doing with the eco-car thing yet. My car has a lot of manual adjustments, and it definitely does not have the cool features I love about the Stinger. This sounds silly, but my favorite feature on the Stinger is how you can adjust the height of your seat. I was like, “OMG I’m tall!” and it was amazing. OH, and HEATED SEATS!

There are of course a ton of other features Chase and I loved. There’s the heads-up display which is basically a screen on the driver’s side windshield that shows you a bunch of cool things like the speedometer and lane awareness for your safety. Chase loved the Brembo breaks, and we even got stopped on our way to Flagstaff by a guy who was amazed at how badass they looked on the Kia. It’s super easy to switch from sport mode to eco mode or even comfort mode. You can literally drive several different kinds of cars in a matter of minutes while never leaving the Stinger.

Of course, I love the lighting the passenger visor mirror gives you, and there’s also the huge sunroof that let’s all of the perfect selfie lighting come in. The interior is clean and the sound system is just as clean. You feel like you’re in a freakin’ BMW. I found that the lane keeping assist was very helpful, but Chase did like having the option to turn it off. You can really tell, like all of their cars, Kia really puts thought into the safety features. Another favorite of mine is the automated emergency braking. Now you know that’s going to come in handy when people are out of control in these streets.

This twin turbo (idk what that means but Chase kept bringing it up in conversation whenever someone stopped us to talk about the car) monster also reads your texts out loud. This is actually incredibly useful for someone like me who is constantly getting messages, but always on the road. And just like it reads them to you, it helps you respond. Okay, one more feature I found to be really cool and then I’ll stop pretending I know what I’m talking about. I LOVE the climate control. I love that Chase can be in the frozen tundra while I’m on the other side roasting like a turkey. Options. SO. MANY. OPTIONS!

Now, truth be told my next car HAS to be a Kia. Not just because they make sick cars, but because Kia is a brand I can really get behind. After working with them on a 6 city tour that celebrated Afro-Latina culture and of course HAIR, I know that I want to support a brand that supports me. Which one will it be? Well, this car is a bit too cool for me so I’m looking at the Niro, the Soul and maybe even a Cadenza. But if the sporty, head-turning car that has all the bells and whistles without breaking the bank is what you want, then this is the car for you.

The 4+ hour ride through Sedona, Flagstaff, and finishing at the Grand Canyon was super smooth. We listened to one of Chases’ fav’s, Ari Shaffir and we listened to like an hour of Beyoncé. What is a road trip without Beyoncé? When we finally got there, you guys.. UGH! It was STUNNING!! There is no picture in this world that can do it justice. There are so many trails and hikes you can take to different parts of the Canyon. Once you get there, you’re just like “Holy Hell, this is not real life!”

We seriously had THE BEST time, and we’re so thankful to our friends over at Kia Motors for sharing their sweet new ride with us. The stinger 100% made the trip even better than it already was. Because let’s be honest, who doesn’t like the attention a shiny, new, RED sportscar will get you. If you’re looking to buy a new car, or your lease is up, whatever. I strongly recommend you get behind the wheel of a Kia. And then I strongly suggest you pick me up and take me out for coffee.

xo

PS if you want more info on the Kia stinger (’cause I’m not a car person and I’m not giving you specs) click HERE. K. BYE!